Clark’s attorneys push to seal warrant

As lawyers for Raymond Clark III, the man arrested for the murder of Annie Le GRD ’13, work to keep his arrest warrant sealed, Yale is pushing forward with plans to honor Le’s memory with a scholarship fund and campus memorial service.

Public defenders for Clark, a 24-year-old Yale animal technician, filed a motion in Superior Court on Thursday asking for the arrest warrant in the case to remain sealed for an indefinite period of time.

One of Clark’s attorneys, Joseph Lopez, said that the public defenders want to keep the warrants sealed until the lawyers on both sides of the case have had the opportunity to review all the documentation associated with the case. At the time of Clark’s arrest, Superior Court Judge Jon C. Blue placed the warrant under seal for 14 days at the request of the State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Our position is two things,” Lopez said. “It’s standard practice in these high-profile cases to seal the warrant, but we want to take a look at all the police reports and all the stuff before it gets out to the public.”

Lopez added that the defense wants to conduct its own investigation before information is publicly released.

Lopez and the other public defender in the case, Beth Merkin, wrote in the motion that “the disclosure of the information contained in the arrest warrant affidavit would irreparably prejudice the defendant’s state and federal constitutional rights to an impartial jury and to a fair trial.” They added that this “must override the public’s interest in viewing the warrant affidavit.”

Clark’s next court date is on Oct. 6, at which time the judge in the case, Roland Fasano, will probably schedule a hearing for the motion, Lopez said.

Yale will hold a memorial service for Le on Oct. 12 in Battell Chapel at 5 p.m, the Office of Public Affairs said Friday.

In addition to the memorial service, Yale is establishing and soliciting donations for a scholarship fund in Le’s honor. The “I Have a Dream” Foundation, which helps children from low-income backgrounds receive higher education, is also accepting donations in Le’s name.